Middlesbrough 1 – 1 Arsenal Match Report
Trailing league leaders Liverpool by 8 points before the match, Arsenal were in dire need of 3 points against such Premiership minnows. However, Saturdays game at Middlesbrough was another somewhat disappointing one for Arsenal fans, as Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw by a poor Boro side.
Arsenal went ahead on 16 minutes when Adebayor headed in unmarked from a Fabregas corner, but surrendered the lead before half time when a failed clearance from Clichy was whipped into the box by Tuncay and finished off by Gunners old boy Aliadiere.
The scoreline stayed this way for the rest of the match as Arsenal failed to produce much in the way of clear cut chances for the strikers.
Here’s how they lined up :
Almunia,
Sagna, Gallas, Djourou, Clichy
Denilson, Fabregas, Song, Diaby
Van Persie, Adebayor
Some slightly strange team selection there, with Diaby and Denilson both playing out of position on the wings.
This really showed throughout the match, as Arsenal lacked any threat from wide, and while Boro’s goal was somewhat fortunate, Arsenal really didn’t dominate or create enough chances to deserve to win. Denilson didn’t have a bad game considering he was out of position, and played with more commitment than most, but Diaby really did not respond well, surely Wilshere or Eboue would have been a better choice.
Van Persie had a miserable game, about the only time I can remember him doing anything at all was when he missed from an Adebayor cross just after half time.
Almunia is going through a really dodgy spell, he seems to have lost confidence, and the defence don’t look like they have much confidence in him either. Every time the opposition gets a corner or a free kick I am on edge as Almunia invariably stays rooted to his line or flaps ineffectively at the cross.
Fabregas didn’t have a bad game though, his performance was about the best of the bunch, he played a couple of nice passes that reminded me a little of his form last season, so let’s hope we see more of that sort of thing.
I found it interesting that despite having Vela, Ramsey, Eboue, Wilshere and Bendtner on the bench, Wenger left it until 82 minutes had been played before introducing Bendtner as his only substitution.
So, on a weekend that saw the rest of the top 6 Premiership teams also draw, Arsenal have managed not to slip any further behind in the title race but equally have missed out on the chance to gain ground on the clubs in front of them.
Apologies again for the lack of posting on Arsenal Online. I’m finally settled in now in my new home in France, have a working internet connection and everything so should be more regular updates from now on.
Tags: adebayor, middlesbrough, premiership
